


Like Real People Do

by fembuck



Category: Atomic Blonde (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Espionage, Established Relationship, F/F, Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 19:02:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12139044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fembuck/pseuds/fembuck
Summary: M16 has closed their case, Bremovych is dead, and Lorraine is on home soil once again, but she’s still keeping secrets and now Kurzfeld has called her into a surprise meeting to bring those secrets into the light.





	Like Real People Do

 

_Lorraine’s heeled boots clicked authoritatively as she stalked across the Atlantic Hotel’s marble floor, making her way to the hotel bar._

_Upon reaching the carpeted lounge it didn’t take her long to spot Kurzfeld seated at a table in the back. Lorraine removed her sunglasses and then lifted her head, looking him straight in the eyes, taking pains to make it clear that she had seen him before she turned away from him and sauntered over to the bar to order a drink._

_“You took your sweet time,” Kurzfeld grunted testily when Lorraine finally made her way over to his table and slid into the booth beside him, affording herself the same panoramic view of the room that he had._

_“You’ll survive,” Lorraine drawled coolly. “Why am I here?”_

_“I think you know,” Kurzfeld replied, gazing at Lorraine like a disappointed school teacher._

_Lorraine sighed heavily.  “I think I’m too sober for this.” She lifted her glass to her lips, downed the entirety of her drink, and then immediately lifted her hand to signal a nearby waiter so she could order another._

_“Listen kid,” Kurzfeld began in a sociable tone once Lorraine had finished with the waiter and he was a safe distance way. “I know you just got beat to hell for Uncle Sam, and that I’m interrupting your well-deserved R & R right now. I won’t keep you long, but we have to talk … clear some things up. I’m here to help, but I can’t protect you if you’re not honest with me.”_

_“Protect me?” Lorraine scoffed, unconsciously flexing her fingers under the table, feeling the scabs that had formed on her knuckles pull, the slight ache acting as an unneeded reminder that Kurzfeld, and men like Kurzfeld, hadn’t ever protected her from a single fucking thing._

_“I know I can be gruff sometimes,” Kurzfeld started, prompting Lorraine to turn her head towards the bar in search of the waiter she’d just sent off with her drink order. “But I care about my assets.  I care about you,” Kurzfeld continued in what, Lorraine was certain he had convinced himself, was an earnest tone.  “And right now, I’m trying to look out for you.”_

_“How are you looking out for me?” Lorraine asked, her tone neutral and her expression inscrutable, as she looked over him once again._

_“By convincing you that being straight with me, is in your best interests.”_

_“The insinuation, of course, being that I haven’t been so far,” Lorraine drawled, dipping her head down and shaking it faintly side to side.  “After all that we’ve been through together. Your lack of faith wounds me.”_

_Kurzfeld saw Lorraine’s act for what it was, and his hand twitched impatiently where it rested on the table. “Where is she?” He demanded, understanding that playing good cop was going to get him exactly nowhere with Lorraine in the defiant mood she was currently sporting._

_“Who?”_

_“Your girlfriend,” he practically sneered._

_“My what?” Lorraine gasped, laughing lightly._

_“Lasalle,” he stated, staring at her balefully. “Where is Lasalle?”_

_Lorraine was quiet for a moment as she looked at him incredulously, and then she closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and breathed out a low, drawn out, ‘fuuuck’._

_“How many times do I have to tell the same fucking story?” Lorraine exhaled, not trying to hide her frustration._

_“Just once more, as long as you tell it right,” Kurzfeld replied, unmoved by Lorraine’s theatrics.  “Tell it true.”_

_“Delphine Lasalle is dead, Emmett. You know this … because I know this,” Lorraine stated tiredly._

_“No, I know what you’ve said,” Kurzfeld retorted. “But if what you’ve said is true Lorraine, then where’s her fucking body?”_

\---

Time slowed as Lorraine walked towards Delphine’s prone body.

Percival was getting further away, the List was still in the wind, and she had no idea how she was going spin anything that had happened in Berlin so far to her advantage … but none of that mattered to Lorraine at that moment, none of it even registered with her as she drew closer to Delphine’s crumpled form.  

As Lorraine’s feet moved mechanically, carrying her closer and closer to Delphine, Lorraine was painfully aware of the way her chest was constricting as her eyes began to sting, tears welling in them as she moved closer and closer to Delphine and the inescapable truth that …

“Fuck,” Lorraine exhaled brokenly, turning away from Delphine’s motionless body as the tears that had been building in her eyes began to fall and her hand lifted to her face, instinctively trying to hide her tears even though there was no one else in the room to witness her falling apart.

She’d known the woman for less than a week, but Delphine – soft, vulnerable, beautiful Delphine – had achieved in that time what so many others had failed to do: she’d made Lorraine care.

Delphine had been a bleeding heart in a shark tank … so sweet, and soft, and earnest. Like a moth, Lorraine had been drawn to her light, to her warmth, had been enchanted – despite herself - by such openness and emotion in someone employed in their field. But, as much as these qualities had drawn Lorraine to Delphine, they were dangerous for someone who did what they did … which is why Lorraine had been telling Delphine to run since the night of their first kiss.

A surge of grief fueled fury overwhelmed Lorraine, and she lashed out suddenly, kicking violently at some cassette tapes that were scattered over the hardwood floor before she closed her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath.

She had lost people before.

She had lost virtually everyone and everything that had ever meant a damn to her.

Death and loss, pain and violence, these things were what had characterized her life for almost two decades, and living this way had forced her to learn how to compartmentalize her feelings, how to always be alert and on guard, and how to carry on in the face of unimaginable trauma.

These lessons had been effective.

They had kept her alive.

But even as Lorraine repeated these things to herself, she was acutely aware of how brutal a way of life it was, and just why she had been working desperately for years to find a way out. 

And she had.

Before she had been called into that grey office in London, the work she had been doing as Satchel had brought the freedom she so desperately craved within her reach. The end of her life of espionage had been so close, and she wanted it so badly that when she met Delphine she made a choice to let herself feel something, just a little, like she was already free.

As she lay in that fucking god awful neon hotel room with Delphine pressed against her side, beautiful brown eyes cast up towards her, gazing at her gently, Lorraine had gotten ahead of herself.

As Delphine’s breathing had slowed and she had settled into sleep, fitting against the side of Lorraine’s body like it had been made for her, like a rookie fucking moron, Lorraine had let herself act like a person, and feel things like real people did, instead of closing herself off like the spy she had been trained to be.

Like the spy she still was.

In those peaceful moments during their second night together, Lorraine had allowed herself to enjoy the warmth and comfort of Delphine’s body snuggled against her. She had indulged herself with thoughts of coming back to Berlin after she’d gained her freedom, of convincing Delphine to leave the violence and chaos and danger of intelligence work behind in favor of a life with her, far, far away from it all. She had allowed herself to imagine Delphine sitting at a table in a kitchen with big windows that bathed her in sunlight, an expresso steaming in a small white cup in her hands while another one sat waiting on the table in front of an empty chair … Lorraine’s chair … in her home, a real home, one that she shared with someone who knew her truth, and loved her all the same.

When morning came, Lorraine knew she should have let go of the indulgent thoughts of the night before, but she hadn’t wanted to. Instead, she had clung to them and indulged herself more, allowing herself to laugh like she wanted to when Delphine had awoken her with a barrage of sweet butterfly kisses. She indulged herself when she rolled over and pinned Delphine down on the mattress, kissing her back slowly, deeply, luxuriously over and over again until the hotel phone rang with her wake up call. She continued to indulge herself when she lounged nakedly on her bed, watching Delphine get dressed with a soft smile. And she began to actively work towards creating the future she had imagined when she gave in to Delphine’s gentle cajoling and agreed to take the brunette out on proper dinner date when her mission was over.

And now …

Lorraine staggered to the side and fell against a doorframe, leaning there heavily for a moment before she finally slid down to the ground and let herself cry, let herself grieve, instead of trying to bottle it up inside like …

Lorraine suddenly sat up straight.

Something had teased her senses.

She turned to the left, towards where Delphine lay. She desperately didn’t want to be confronted with the sight of her lovers’ body, but despite her grief her instinct for self-preservation was still strong.  If Percival had been with a partner, or perhaps doubled back himself, she needed to know.  So, Lorraine looked, and listened carefully, her eyes scanning the bedroom until …

Lorraine was in motion before her brain had fully processed that she had seen … movement … a twitch of Delphine’s hand.

Lorraine scrambled over to Delphine and knelt beside her, watching, and when Delphine’s hand moved again, Lorraine grasped it in hers as she bent her head down, placing her ear over Delphine’s chest, fresh tears stinging her eyes when she felt Delphine take a shallow breath.

With a task to focus on now, the calm that had carried Lorraine through so many missions returned to her, and working quickly and carefully, she checked Delphine’s airway to make sure there were no obstructions, and then she carefully lifted Delphine and placed her on the bed, taking Delphine’s hand into her own once again as she lay beside her and waited for Delphine to continue regaining consciousness.

When Delphine fully awoke, her body exploded in movement, her eyes snapping open as her body twisted, drawing away from Lorraine violently as her hands flew up to her neck, attempting to tug away a wire that was no longer wrapped around her.

“You’re going to be okay,” Lorraine said calmly, steadily, shifting slowly towards Delphine as she spoke.  “It’s okay,” Lorraine continued softly, extending her hand towards Delphine, “You’re fine now.  I’m here.  I’ve got you,” she went on gently, opening her arms in invitation.

Delphine stared at her blankly for a moment, but then, when her mind was able to process what Lorraine had said to her, Delphine’s eyes filled with tears and she crawled towards Lorraine, falling gratefully into the blonde’s open arms.

\---

_“Her body?” Lorraine asked, her brows scrunching in confusion.  “What do you mean?”_

_“Don’t fucking give me that. Cut the shit, Lorraine,” Kurzfeld growled lowly. “Where is Lasalle?”_

_“She’s dead, Emmett,” Lorraine said, her voice hard and her eyes cold.  “Percival fell on her disinterest. I found her.  I saw her. She’s dead. How many times do I have to fucking say it?”_

_“I’d lose the attitude real quick if I were you,” Kurzfeld rumbled warningly. “Lying to the enemy is one thing, lying to your own government is another entirely more dangerous thing.  I know you, Lorraine.  You’re keeping something from me, and you need to know that it’s in your best interest to fucking stop it and tell me the truth,” Kurtzfeld continued, jabbing his finger in her face. “Lasalle’s body wasn’t at the apartment and no Jane Doe matching her description has turned up in city morgues. So if you want to convince me that you haven’t stashed her in a love den somewhere, tell me where to find her body.”_

_“A love den … for fucks sake,” Lorraine spat out. “You sound ridiculous. I don’t know where her body is.”_

_Kurzfeld’s gaze was cold and steady._

_“You say it hasn’t been found, and I have no reason to doubt you,” Lorraine continued in the face of his silence. “But I can’t tell you what I don’t know, and I don’t know what happened after I left the apartment,” Lorraine said, sighing deeply a moment later. “I wish I could give you what you want. Truly I do, because she deserves to be put to rest. I wish to fuck that we lived in a world where she got a funeral with trumpets and her murderer was left to rot somewhere, forgotten and alone. But Berlin’s a fucking mess, you know it’s a fucking mess, and ...” Lorraine sighed again as she lifted her hand to rub at her eyes. “I don’t know where her body is. I just know what I saw.”_

_“And that’s the answer you’re going with, for the record?” Kurzfeld asked, staring at her punishingly, his eyes promising her that in the future she would pay for what he was certain was her continued insubordination and subterfuge._

_“Yeah,” Lorraine breathed out, meeting his vengeful gaze steadily. “For the record,” she added as a waiter approached their table with her drink. “Do you need me to sign somewhere or something?” she asked flippantly once the waiter had retreated._

_Kurzfeld was still for a moment, breathing in and out deeply, and then his frustration got the better of him and he slammed his hand against the top of the table, drawing a few eyes over their way._

_Lorraine, however, was unfazed by the display and simply picked up her drink to stop it from tipping over._

_“I know you, Lorraine, I …” Kurzfeld began, before pausing to take another calming breath, “I know you’re hiding something, and if we can’t discuss it congenially here, then we can repeat this conversation on tape in a far less pleasant environment.”_

_“Emmett,” Lorraine began in a conciliatory tone._

_“The truth,” Kurzfeld interjected, voice and eyes hard as her stared at her._

_“Fine,” Lorraine breathed out exasperatedly.  “You’re right, okay.  I am keeping something from you,” she admitted dramatically before pausing to take a sip of her drink. “But what I’m hiding has nothing to do with Lasalle.”_

\---

The safe house Merkel had directed her to was a small, dreary place lacking in atmosphere and natural light, but M16, the KGB, the Stasi, French intelligence and the CIA had no idea that it existed, which made it exactly what she needed.

Delphine caught Lorraine’s wrist and dragged the blonde’s hand away from her neck, where Lorraine’s fingers had been gently brushing over the bruised flesh Percival’s garret had left behind as they lounged on the safe house bed together.

“Don’t do that to yourself,” Delphine rasped. The pills Merkel had given her had helped with the pain, but her voice still raw and weak from the trauma that had been wrought upon her the night before.  “You saved me.”

“I didn’t.  Not really,” Lorraine exhaled, closing her eyes and looking away, unable to accept the reassurance.

They’d gotten lucky, Lorraine didn’t deny that, but if she’d made better choices they wouldn’t have had to depend on luck. When Delphine had shown up at her hotel room, she should have done more, she should have explained how immediate the threat was, and made it clear how quickly Delphine needed to move. But she had been so fucking exhausted, and stressed, and just beaten to hell, and there was still so much that she had needed to do.

Lorraine had known that if she was going to make it out of Berlin alive she needed to be completely focused, and her feelings for Delphine were a distraction.

So, she’d pulled back from Delphine, she’d closed herself off and she’d carried on, just like she’d learned to do.

And Delphine had nearly been strangled to death because of it.

“You did,” Delphine insisted, drawing their joined hands up to her lips which she then pressed against Lorraine’s palm.  “I’d gone limp, but I was still conscious, aware enough to know that I was aware. But the darkness was settling in and I was so afraid, and then, the pressure eased, and his weight was off of me, and somehow I was still alive. Alive and terrified that he would check his work, realize I wasn’t quite done and ... but then there was knocking, and he ran, and before I lost consciousness I saw you come in and I knew, _I knew,_ I was safe,” Delphine breathed out.  “You came to save me … and you did,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss Lorraine’s lips softly.

There was a part of Lorraine that wanted to protest, that blamed herself for not having saved Delphine from having to suffer through an attack at all. But despite that part of her, Lorraine welcomed Delphine’s kiss. She gave herself over to it, choosing to focus on the moment, and on the fact that Delphine was alive and warm in her arms, instead of torturing herself with ‘what ifs’ and recriminations.

Later that night, Delphine was to get into a car driven by a colleague of Merkel’s. With the passport Merkel had managed to cobble together in the short amount of time Lorraine had given him, Delphine was to travel across Germany and then slip over the border into the Netherlands where she’d remain hidden until they were able to arrange papers and a passport for her that would hold up under the greater scrutiny they’d face at an airport.

But for now, they were together, and Lorraine was content to focus on that while she could, because while she hoped to reunite with Delphine after dealing with MI6 and Bremovych, if things didn’t go as planned after she returned to the States, this would be the last she would ever see of Delphine.

When they pulled apart, Delphine took Lorraine’s face in her hands, looking at her with concern.

“Why does it feel like you’re saying goodbye?” Delphine breathed out.

“I might be,” Lorraine replied plainly, though her voice was soft and her gaze gentle as she stroked Delphine’s cheek. “You know I still have a part to play.”

Percival was dead, the wall had come down, and Delphine had provided Lorraine with the photographic evidence she needed to support the story the recordings she was splicing together would tell about what had happened in Berlin.

Light could be seen at the end of the tunnel, but Lorraine wasn’t going to get ahead of herself again.  Plays were still being made, and pieces were still being moved.  She was close to getting out, but there was still tunnel to get through before she could tilt her head back and bask in the warmth of the sun on her face on the other side.

Delphine looked at her like she wanted to protest, but she had seen and experienced enough of the world of espionage to understand why Lorraine had said what she’d said. 

“In that case,” Delphine murmured, lifting her arms so that she could pull her shirt over her head.

Lorraine stared at her for a moment, her brows crinkling with concern as her eyes focused in on the bruising around Delphine’s neck. 

“I’m fine,” Delphine said reassuringly.  “I’ll show you,” she continued, a wicked little grin stretching across her lips.

“Is that so?” Lorraine asked, lips twitching with the effort of suppressing a smile, even as she arched a pale eyebrow at Delphine.

“I like to be helpful,” Delphine whispered, slipping her hand under Lorraine’s shirt to toy with her abdomen.

“But I don’t have any grocery bags that need lifting,” Lorraine noted dryly.

“What about jars that won’t open?” Delphine asked, drawing a smile from Lorraine as her fingers teased their way further up the blonde’s torso under her shirt.  “Dirty windows in need of a wash? Dishes?”  Lorraine shook her head.  “Laundry?”

“Not currently,” Lorraine smiled.

“In that case, I suppose … I’ll have to get creative,” Delphine declared softly, a thoughtful expression taking over her features for a moment before she dissolved into a playful grin.  “Arms up.”

“Why?” Lorraine asked.

“I’m going to help you out of your shirt.”

“You know, Delphine,” Lorraine began, dutifully lifting up her arms to aid Delphine with the task of removing her shirt.  “I’m beginning to suspect that your offer to help isn’t entirely philanthropic.”

Delphine laughed at that, charmed by this playful side of Lorraine and hoping that she would get to see more of it, if … no, _when_ they reunited.

“So cynical,” Delphine exhaled, brushing her thumb over Lorraine’s bottom lip before leaning in to taste Lorraine.  “I happen to be a very giving person,” she continued as her fingers worked the button on Lorraine’s pants, undoing it before moving down to the zipper.

“What are you going to give me?” Lorraine whispered, voice raspy and gaze soft as she arched her hips off of the bed, making it easier for Delphine to take off her pants.

Delphine kissed her way back up Lorraine’s body, making note of the damage that had been done to Lorraine since the last time she had seen the blonde nude. In addition to Lorraine’s black eye and split lip, her ribs were visibly bruised, her left arm was sporting a large and painful looking contusion, and her right knee was swollen.

“Love,” Delphine exhaled tenderly, “I’m going to love you,” she continued, holding Lorraine’s eyes for a long moment before she leaned down and kissed her, slowly, deeply, gasping into Lorraine’s mouth a few moments later when Lorraine clutched at her powerfully, holding her tightly as she returned Delphine’s kiss with passion.

When Lorraine’s fingers began to tease underneath Delphine’s bra, the brunette took the hint and shifted on the mattress, straddling Lorraine before reaching behind herself to unclasp her bra and toss it aside.

“I could look at you forever,” Lorraine breathed out softly, reverently, as she gazed at Delphine.

“I wouldn’t object to that,” Delphine said softly, her lips pulling up into a smile as she spoke, “As long as you touch me too.”

“Mm,” Lorraine hummed as her hands trailed up Delphine’s thighs and over her hips before teasing up her torso.  “That won’t be a problem,” Lorraine promised, smiling at Delphine as her hand reached the French woman’s breasts, enjoying the gentle weight of them for a moment before allowing her thumbs to stroke Delphine’s dark, rapidly hardening nipples.

“Good,” Delphine murmured, lifting her hands to capture Lorraine’s wrists, halting the blonde’s motions.  “But first, I touch you,” she continued, lifting Lorraine’s right hand to her mouth and placing a kiss on her palm before smiling and leaning down to kiss Lorraine again.

Lorraine’s hands trailed lightly over Delphine’s skin as they kissed, brushing over her thighs, grazing her ass, traveling over the planes of her back before stroking lightly down her spine.

Delphine sighed into her neck, her warm breath sending a shiver of pleasure through Lorraine, drawing a ragged exhalation of breath from the blonde as Delphine kissed her way down, over Lorraine’s collarbone and between her breasts.

Running her hand lightly up and down Lorraine’s side, careful not to apply too much pressure and hurt her ribs, Delphine lowered her mouth to Lorraine’s breast, kissing the soft swell of it sweetly before moving down to take a pink nipple into her mouth.

Lorraine sighed luxuriously as Delphine’s mouth teased her, stroking, and flicking, and sucking, while her hand continued to wander over Lorraine’s body, fingers ghosting over her pale thighs, caressing her hip, dancing over her abdomen, and occasionally dipping into Lorraine’s wetness and stroking, all while Delphine’s mouth continued to lavish attention on her breasts.

When Lorraine’s hips began to rock insistently, conveying her immediate need, Delphine shifted position, supporting her weight with her right hand while her left moved down to Lorraine’s thigh and nudged it, encouraging Lorraine to spread fully for her.

Lorraine hissed a moment later when Delphine’s hand settled a little too forcefully on her damaged knee, and Delphine quickly moved her hand.

“Sorry,” she whispered, pressing a soft kiss above Lorraine’s heart in penance.

“I’ll live,” Lorraine breathed out.

“I know,” Delphine said softly before pressing a kiss to Lorraine’s lips. “But you don’t have to live in pain,” she continued, beginning to kiss her way back down Lorraine’s body.

Delphine’s lips danced over the muscled planes of Lorraine’s stomach, and planted kisses over Lorraine’s hips and upper thighs, and then she was between Lorraine’s legs, tongue stroking into Lorraine’s wetness, and Lorraine’s eyes closed as she tilted her head back into pillows, moaning softly as her hips arched into Delphine’s expert mouth.

When Lorraine came, she came quietly but powerfully, her fingers tangling in Delphine’s dark hair, keeping the younger woman connected to her as her orgasm washed over her and her body arched and twisted, convulsing in pleasure.

“Fuck,” Lorraine grunted, collapsing back against the mattress, reaching down with her left hand to stop Delphine’s attempt to bring her over again, while her right hand pressed against her ribs, which were aching painfully now that the euphoria of her orgasm was fading.

Lorraine felt Delphine’s hand move to lightly cover the hand she had pressed against her ribs, and then Delphine was sliding carefully up her body until her face was hovering above Lorraine’s.

“Are you okay?” Delphine asked with concern, biting down on her bottom lip worriedly as her eyes dropped down to their hands.

“I’m fine,” Lorraine told her reassuringly, lifting her hand off of her ribs and then entwining her fingers with Delphine’s.  “I’ll show you,” Lorraine continued cheekily, parroting Delphine’s earlier words as she began to flip them over so that she would be on top.

“No you won’t,” Delphine replied, successfully blocking Lorraine’s attempt to switch their positions which was all the proof she needed that Lorraine’s ribs were still bothering her.  “Keep still,” Delphine admonished, lightly pushing at Lorraine’s shoulder, encouraging her to settle back down.

“I’m not an invalid,” Lorraine said grumpily, though she settled back against the mattress as Delphine wanted.  “I’ve been in worse shape,” she continued.  “I’ve fucked in worse shape,” she added provocatively.

“I’m sure you have,” Delphine breathed softly, stroking Lorraine’s cheek gently before she leaned in to kiss her. “But you won’t tonight.”

“Technically,” Lorraine began.

“Hush,” Delphine admonished gently before kissing the tip of Lorraine’s nose.  “And just now, wasn’t fucking,” she added, settling herself on the side of Lorraine’s body where the bruising was not quite as bad, and then she rested her head on the blonde’s shoulder. A content sigh falling from her lips a few moments later when Lorraine began to toy with the ends of her hair.

“I can be gentle, you know,” Lorraine murmured as she gazed up at the ceiling, knowing that Delphine was worried she’d overexert herself pleasuring the brunette and aggravate her injuries.

“I know,” Delphine whispered, pressing her lips against Lorraine’s shoulder. “I also know how macho you are,” she continued, drawing an amused chuckle from Lorraine. “So you don’t need to worry about your reputation if you sit one game out,” she finished, pressing her lips against Lorraine’s neck.

“I wasn’t trying to be macho,” Lorraine murmured.  “I wanted to give you something to remember me by,” she admitted, shifting a little uncomfortably beneath Delphine as she shared the uncharacteristically sentimental thought.

“You have,” Delphine assured her softly, her hand unconsciously drifting up to her neck to stroke the still visible bruising Percival’s garret had left behind.

“I meant something … good,” Lorraine remarked, “something pleasant,” she amended, seeing Delphine’s motion and knowing that Delphine was thinking that Lorraine had given her life the night before, when she’d chased Percival off before he’d been able to finish killing her.

“You have,” Delphine repeated, her lips twitching up slightly, “Multiple times, back to back.  You’re very good with your hands.”

“Just my hands?” Lorraine asked, playfully, feeling Delphine smile into her shoulder.

“No, not just your hands,” Delphine murmured a bit bashfully, nipping lightly at Lorraine’s shoulder.  “There is something you can do for me though,” she added, lowering her head back down to Lorraine’s shoulder.

“And what’s that?” Lorraine asked softly.

“Promise you’ll bring me back something from Paris,” Delphine whispered into the warmth of Lorraine’s neck.

“Really?” Lorraine asked, a touch of amusement showing in her voice, as she stared up at the ceiling.  “What would you like? A beret? Some kind of cheese? One of those fucking chat noir pictures?” she continued dryly.

Delphine lifted her head from Lorraine’s shoulder, and then, looking down at the blonde seriously, she shook her head.

“What then?” Lorraine asked softly as she lifted her hand to stroke Delphine’s cheek, moved by the depth of emotion in Delphine’s dark eyes as the younger woman gazed down at her.

“You,” Delphine breathed out.  “Bring _you_ back to me.”

“I’ll do my best,” Lorraine promised, pointedly holding Delphine’s gaze.

Delphine was quiet for a moment as she gazed intently at Lorraine, and then, having determined that Lorraine was telling the truth, Delphine stated, “Then I know I will see you again,” confident that Lorraine would succeed at anything she put her mind to, “and then you can show me how macho you are,” she added teasingly, dipping her head down to a moment later to press her mouth against Lorraine’s smiling lips.

\---

_Lorraine removed a folded manila envelope from her purse and slid it across the table to Kurzfeld._

_Kurzfeld was still and quiet for a moment, staring at Lorraine’s profile as she lifted her glass to her lips and took another sip of her drink, seemingly completely unfazed by his scrutiny. Then he picked up the envelope and removed what was inside, flipping through it for a minute._

_“What’s this?” Kurzfeld asked, his fingers running over the front page of the document._

_“You can read,” Lorraine commented, swishing the ice around her glass._

_“You went around me,” Kurzfeld stated, pushing the exit papers Lorraine had handed him to the side._

_“I went above you,” Lorraine corrected, fighting back the urge to smile when Kurzfeld’s eyes narrowed in annoyance._

_“How’d you manage it?” he asked curiously._

_He was her handler. She shouldn’t have had any type of relationship or contact with anyone in a position of power higher than his. And even if she had been able to make contact, he couldn’t begin to imagine what she could have used as leverage to get out. Lorraine was still young, able-bodied, and sane. She was still an asset, a very effective asset that they had invested in heavily over the years, which meant that she had either managed to give someone high up something significant, or she had been able to blackmail someone high up with something significant._

_Lorraine simply stared at him, clearly not inclined to explain shit._

_“You’re sure about this?” Kurzfeld asked, placing his hand over the exit papers._

_Lorraine allowed her cold, disdainful stare to reply to Kurzfeld’s question for her._

_“You’re going to miss it,” Kurzfeld commented as Lorraine finished her second drink._

_“No,” Lorraine exhaled, reaching over to retrieve the copy of her exit papers. “You’re going to miss me,” she corrected, placing the document back into her purse._

_There were many people who could do what Kurzfeld, and Gray, and C, and all the other old men in their expensive suits and Italian shoes could do. There were very few people who could do what she did, as well as she did, for as long as she had done it._

_“The sentiments aren’t mutually exclusive, you know,” Kurzfeld replied.  “Your absence will be felt. But so will ours, whether you’re willing to admit it now or not.”_

_Lorraine laughed dismissively and rose to her feet._

_“We’re done here,” she stated, slipping her sunglasses back on._

_“For now,” Kurzfeld remarked, utterly confident as he looked up at her._

_Lorraine understood where the confidence came from. She knew as well as he did that it was difficult for agents with a clearing as high as hers to truly break free from the company while they were still mentally sound and physically able. The papers they signed could provide days, months, even years of peace, but they were not blanket reprieves. There was always the threat that one day an executive order would come down stating that “their country needed them,” dragging them back in for ‘one more’ mission._

_He was confident because he thought that the government, and therefore he, would always own a piece of her._

_If Lorraine had been any other agent, his confidence might have been justified. But Lorraine wasn’t any other agent. Lorraine had the List. Lorraine knew who the CIA had buried and where, and when, and why, and how. The wall might have come down, the war might have been officially over, but the sins committed during it had not been erased, and if Kurzfeld or anyone else came for her, or Delphine, Lorraine would unleash hell upon them one leaked document at a time._

_Which is why, to Kurzfeld’s confusion, Lorraine simply smiled in the face of his veiled threat, and murmured, “Goodbye, Emmett,” before turning and walking away from him for the last time._

\---

_ A Year Later _

_ Location Undisclosed _

_Lorraine leaned back in her chair, her eyes roving around the patio she was seated at, lazily observing the faces around her before she sighed contently and tilted her head back to bask in the warmth of the sun of her face._

_“You look very peaceful.”_

_Lorraine’s lips curved up into a smile at the sound of Delphine’s voice._

_“You look very beautiful,” Lorraine breathed out when her eyes opened, the words drawing a sweet smile from Delphine. “How long do you have?” Lorraine asked, allowing her eyes to roam over Delphine with an appreciative leisure._

_“As long as I want,” Delphine announced cheerily as she slipped into the chair opposite Lorraine’s._

_“Really?” Lorraine asked suspiciously._

_“I can miss one lecture,” Delphine replied, rolling her eyes before reaching across the table for Lorraine’s wine glass._

_“How long would a responsible person in your class have?” Lorraine asked dryly._

_“An hour.” Delphine smiled cheekily before taking a sip of the wine. “This is good.”_

_“I know,” Lorraine drawled, watching Delphine pointedly as the brunette continued to sip from her glass.  “That’s why I ordered it.”_

_“Don’t be grumpy,” Delphine admonished playfully as she finished Lorraine glass of wine._

_“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never been grumpy a day in my life,” Lorraine stated with a deadpan seriousness that made Delphine laugh._

_“Have you ordered?” Delphine asked as Lorraine slid a menu across the table to her._

_“No,” Lorraine breathed out, “Not food, anyway,” she continued, her eyes resting on the empty wine glass for a second before returning to Delphine, gazing at her thoughtfully for a moment.  “Do you want to?”_

_“Order?”_

_Lorraine nodded faintly, gazing at Delphine with hooded eyes, looking distinctly hungry, but not for anything the café had on its menu._

_The NGO her alias, Lauren Williams, had been working with as a security consultant had thought that it had three to four months to finalize the security protocols and safety plan for its workers on the ground level of its new project. However, geopolitical tensions in the area of the project meant that if the organization didn’t get its personnel on-site within the month, it was unlikely it’d be able to get people in for a year, maybe more. This accelerated the timetable for the operation, and the accelerated timetable had meant a lot of late nights for Lorraine over a period of a couple weeks. And that, combined with Delphine’s full days at school, had meant that the two of them had had little time together to talk, or touch._

_The final arrangements for the NGOs personnel had finally been completed a few days before however, which meant that presently Lorraine had time and was well-rested, so if Delphine was in the mood to play hooky, Lorraine couldn’t think of a better way to spend the afternoon then naked in bed together, making up for lost time._

_“We’re supposed to be having lunch, aren’t we?” Delphine asked, though if the look in Lorraine’s eyes meant what she thought it meant, she was more than happy to change their plans._

_“Your afternoon is open, isn’t it?” Lorraine began, wetting her lips. “We could have lunch later.”_

_“And in the meantime?” Delphine asked knowingly._

_“I’m sure we’ll think of something,” Lorraine drawled, eyeing Delphine decadently._

_Delphine grinned at that, and Lorraine returned it before standing up and dropping some money onto the table.  That taken care of, Lorraine then held out her hand to Delphine, chivalrously helping her to her feet, and then, side by side, hand in hand, they began the walk home._

 

The End

 

Comments are always welcome and greatly appreciated!  Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it :)


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